Circular-knitting machine.



(No Model.)

H. BROWN.

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

(Application filed Aug. 11, 1899.)

Patented Feb. 6, I900.

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No. 642,579. Patented Feb. 6, I900.

H. snow"; CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

(Application filed Aug. 11, 1899.)

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H. BROWN.

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cam adapted at alternate revolutions of the NITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE. I

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,579, dated February 6, 1900.

Application filed August 11,1899. Serial No. 726,856. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY BROWN, a citizenof the United States, residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and .State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Circular-Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to a knittingmachine of the circular type wherein a seamless tubular fabric may be knit and the needles fed by a single thread, said fabric having intermingled with the regular woven or knit portions certain open-work or lace portions extending throughout the length of the fabric, and in such connection the invention relates more particularly to the construction and arrangement of such a machine.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a single-feed circular-knitting machine wherein a seamless tubular knitted fabric may be produced having regularlywoven portions separated by open-work or lacework portions extending the length of the fabric.

My invention consists of a circular-knitting machine having a single feed and provided only with cylinder-needles, said needles being arranged in sets of ordinary or short-latch needles separated or interspersed with long-latch needles, said feed being carried by a regular cam-cylinder and said camcylinder being provided with an auxiliary cam-cylinder to raise both long and short latch needles, so that the thread in one instance will rest below the latches of the shortlatch needles only, whereas in the other instance it will rest below the latches of both long and short latch needles.

The nature and scope of myinvention will be more fully understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in Which Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a circular-knitting machine embodying mainfeatures of my invention, certain old mechanisms being removed to more clearly illustrate the invention. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the same, with the cam-cylinder turned three-quarters of a revolution from left to right. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line a" so of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail elevational View of the inside of the cam-cylinder and of the auxiliary cam carried thereby. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the auxiliary cam and operating mechanism, the cam being in raised position. Fig. 6 is a similar view of the auxiliary cam and mechanism with the cam in lowered position. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective viewillustrating the elevated position of the long-latch and short-latch needles in which the loops are all cast ofi. Fig. 7 is a similar view illustrating the shortlatch needles elevated to permit their loops to be cast off and the long-latch needles depressed so that their loops will be retained. Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view of the cam-cylinder, auxiliary cam, and needles spread out upon a flat surface; and Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic View of the fabric spread out upon a flat surface.

Referring to the drawings, a represents the needle-cylinder, b the rotary cam-cylinder, and d the yarn-feed carried by the cam-cylinder b at the point where the stitch or knitting cam b is located on the cam-cylinder b. In the needle-cylinder are located in the usual manner the short and longlatch needles f and g, respectively, prearranged according to the pattern which, as illustrated in Fig. 8, would comprise sets of three short-latch needles f, separated from each other by a single longlatch needle g, there being a needle removed from either side of the long-latch needles, so that the single long-latch needle 9, as hereinafter described, will knit a section of openwork or lace fabric of a width corresponding to the width of the section of ordinary fabric knit by the short-latch needles f. It is to be understood, however, that the pattern of the fabric may be altered at will, but that in every instance the sections of ordinary fabric knit by the short-latch needles will be connected by a section of open-work fabric knit by one or more long-latch needles. Upon the camring I) and ahead of the knitting-cam b is pivoted a cam m, normally depressed by a spring-controlled arm 0%, as illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, and 6. The spring-controlled arm m is normally pressed by its spring m upon a two-throw cam m carried by a stud an, adapted to be turned by the ratchet m having preferably four teeth.

Upon the base a supporting the needlecylinder a, is secured a spring-pin m, adapted as the cam cylinder or ring I) is rotated to impinge upon the ratchet m and to rotate it one tooth for every revolution of the camring. Thus if the normal position of the cam-armm' and accessories is as is illustrated in Fig. 5 a revolution of the cam-ring Z) will cause the ratchet m to impinge upon the pin m, and the ratchet on, cam m cam-arm m, and cam m will be caused to assume the position illustrated in Fig. 6, in which the cam m and cam-arm m are lowered under the tension of the spring m The operation of the machine is as follows: As the cam-cylinder b is rotated the long and short latch needles will be operated by the cam-groove of the cylinder 1) and by its knit-v ting-cam b, and the fabric will be knit by the two sets of needles f and g, according to the pattern desired.

The fabric illustrated in Fig. 9 comprises, essentially, sections 0 of ordinary stitches formed by the regular or short-latch needles f, and sections 1) of open-work stitches formed by the long-latch needles 9. Starting from the top of Fig. 9, it will be seen that the first row formed by the thread comprises a set of three loops or stitches s, then a long crossing loop 25, then a second set of three loops or stitches s, and a second long crossing loop 25, and so on until the row is completed. The next row, however, comprises three loops or stitches s, then a long loose loop t,above which the upper crossing loop 15 is held, then a second set of three loops or stitches s, and a second long loop 25, &c. The open-work sections 19 therefore comprise a series of long loops t and crossing loops t, interlocked together. The formation of these open-work sections upon a circular-knitting machine having a single feed is the main feature of my invention, and it is accomplished by the introduction of the long-latch needles 9 and their manipulation by the auxiliary cam on in the following manner: When the auxiliary cam m is in its elevated position, as illustrated in Figs. 3, 5, and 7, both sets of needles f and 9 will be elevated when the cam-cylinder b revolves'sufficiently to raise the latches f and g above the loops previously formed by the needles f and g, and thereafter when these needles f and g are again depressed by the action of the knittingcam all these loops will be cast off from both sets of needles and new loops will be drawn into both sets. hen the cam-cylinder has traveled one revolution, the pin m will shift the ratchet m to cause the cam m to fall to the position illustrated in Fig. 6. Now as the cam-cylinder continues to revolve both sets of needles f and g will be elevated; but

only the set f of short-latch needles will be elevated sufficiently to permit their latches f to clear the loops on said needles, the longlatch needles being lifted a distance insufficient to permit the loops on said needles g to clear the latch g. This position is illustrated in Fig. 7. hen now the knitting-cam b operates the needles, the short-latch needles f will operate precisely as before. The longlatch needles 9, however, each retain previously-formed loop t and elongate the same, and the latches being open the thread is again caught into the hook of each needle 9 to form a crossing loop t. As a result of this manipulation of the needles a new seamless tubular knit fabric is formed, consisting of a series of regular loops or stitches 0, alternating with the open-worksections p, which sections 19 are made up of long loops t, joining alternate rows of the stitches o, and crossing loops '6, joining the other rows of stitches 0.

Having thus described the nature and object of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a circular-knitting machine provided with a single yarn-feed, a set of short-latch needles, a set of long-latch needles, a camring carrying the yarn-feed, a main cam carried by said cam'ring and arranged at the point where said yarn-feed is located, said main cam adapted to elevate both sets of needles at one revolution of the cam-ring so that the latches of the short-latch needles only are above the loops formed by said needles, and an auxiliary cam carried by the cam-ring and arranged in front of said main cam, said auxiliary cam adapted to be automatically raised at alternate revolutions of the cam-ring so as to raise both sets of needles so that their latches are above the loops formed by both sets of needles, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In a circular-knitting machine having a cam-cylinder, a single knitting-cam and a single yarn-feed carried by said cylinder, a series of short-latch needles adapted to be operated to cast off their loops at each revolution of the cam-cylinder, an auxiliary cam carried by said cylinder, means for raising and lowering said auxiliary cam at alternate revolutions of said cylinder, and a series of long-latch needles adapted to be elevated by said auxiliary cam to allow the loops on said needles to pass below the latches only when said cam is raised at alternate revolutions of the cam-cylinder, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY BROWN.

Witnesses:

J. WALTER DOUGLASS, RICHARD G. MAXWELL. 

